


Far Beyond The Stars Holiday Stories

by not_an_anagram



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Comedy, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s06e13 Far Beyond the Stars, F/F, Fluff, M/M, Sort of? - Freeform, Trans Character, everyone's queer, holiday stories, workplace shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:06:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28099659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/not_an_anagram/pseuds/not_an_anagram
Summary: A short collection of fun stories about everyone's favorite queer 1950s writers (I'm serious, everyone's queer). Set sort of during the holiday season.(basically, I love this au, and I felt like it could use some more fluffy fics)
Relationships: Douglas Pabst & Herbert Rossoff, Jadzia Dax/Kira Nerys, Julian Bashir/Elim Garak, Kay Eaton/Darlene Kursky, Odo & Quark (Star Trek)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 24





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to thisandthisandthis for beta reading for me!!! My first fic with an official beta!! Hope you all like this, I'll be posting chapters as I finish editing them. The fic will be finished at least by the end of the year. Enjoy!

It was a normal day at the office. Which is to say, everyone was screaming. Today was different, however, because rather than yelling at each other, they were all giving their best impression of a long, drawn out scream of terror. 

“What the hell is going on in here!”

The entire room of writers turned sheepishly to acknowledge their editor.

“Well sir, I was having trouble with a scene, and the fellas are helping me with research,” Macklin stammered. Of all the writers, he looked the most apologetic.

“You should all be on break! What type of research would involve you all screaming loud enough for people to hear you across town?” Pabst continued. 

“Well that’s just it sir,” Macklin replied, “We’re trying to see how long it takes the police to arrive if someone hears screaming.”

Pabst pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath.

“You are attempting to yell loud enough to call the police?”

“Er, yes?”

The editor’s screams of fury could be heard all the way on the other side of town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!! (this is the workplace shenanigans chapter)   
> Next chapter: (this is what warrants the h/c tag)


	2. Assumptions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of hurt/comfort for the Kiradax fans out there. Warnings for discussions of transphobia and some hurtful assumptions.

“I like it.”

Darlene was standing in Kay’s apartment, looking over a small story. 

“It’s just a rough draft, probably gonna scrap it anyway,” Kay moved over to where Darlene was standing.

“No no, you should keep it,” Darlene insisted with a smile.

“What is it you like about it anyway?” Kay asked, pulling Darlene closer.

“I like the Trills.”

“The Trills,” Kay looked at Darlene skeptically, “I thought you were grossed out by the ‘belly worms’. What changed your mind?”

“They’re not weird about gender,” Darlene stated it like it was a fact, “They don’t get hung up on who’s what and why. If someone wants to change how they’re addressed, they just change, and other Trills respect that. No questions asked.”

“Well, they can’t really have transgender stigma, with how often joined Trills change from male to female hosts and back,” Kay grinned at her partner, “I never pegged you for the intelligent analysis type.”

“Wadya talking about?” Darlene pulled away.

“Well you know,” Kay looked sheepish, “You don’t exactly act like an ‘intellectual’’

“Are you calling me dumb?” Darlene gave Kay a hard look, “Just ‘cause I wear my heart on my sleave and smile when I’m happy and take time to enjoy the little things in life, I’m just another ditsy girl?” Darlene was drawing away. Kay reached out, fumbling to salvage the conversation.

“I’m not saying that!”

“Then what, exactly, are you saying Kay.”

“I-” Kay paused, “I’m sorry. That was out of line, okay. I know it, you know it. I shouldn’t have said that, it was dumb, and I’m sorry.”

Darlene looked unconvinced. 

“Look I-” She started, “I shouldn’t have said that. I shouldn’t have even thought it. I made an assumption about you based on how you look and act and that was shity because I know what it feels like for people to judge you without really knowing you. I’m supposed to put more effort into knowing you and I didn’t and I’m sorry. I messed up. I just hope you can let me fix it.”

They stood there, staring at each other, for a few more minutes.

“I accept your apology.”

“Really-”

“But,” Darlene held up her hand, “You still need to make it up to me.”

“I can do that,” Kay said, smiling, “I can do that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this fic with the intention of making Darlene and Pabst transgender adults, if it wasn't obvious from this chapter (Pabst will get his chance later). Another thing, Kay and Julius are both gay and in a lavender marriage, so this isn't an example of cheating. Sorry if the dialogue was kinda stilted, I tried to make it seem natural but I'm not that good at angst


	3. Good Company

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More comedy!!! What I'm good at!!! I really wanted to do a G/B chapter, since my reason for making this fic was the lack of G/B content for this AU.   
> (I know Dukat and Damar have different names in this episode (as well as a different career in Damar's case), but I thought it would be too confusing to the readers, so I just used their regular names)

The cafe was crowded, which suited Julius just fine. The crowds provided a layer of cover from the outside world, necessary when having a discreet rendezvous with one’s lunch partner. 

“...who in the end, should have seen Brutus’ betrayal before it even happened. Really, my dear, I fail to see the ingenuity in a story about a character so oblivious as to be caught unawares by the oldest trick in the book.”

“That’s not the point!” Julius exclaimed for what felt like the fourth time. Trust Garrick to come up with the most convoluted interpretation he could think of when discussing Shakespeare.

“I still cannot imagine why you chose this particular play for our discussions, other than some vain appreciation for the namesake, don’t think I didn’t catch that my dear, seeing as the subject truly does not seem to have the least bit of wisdom or common sense. Everyone knows that betrayal is commonplace in the affairs of the state, if not convenient ‘accidents’ as well.”

“You’d know quite a bit about ‘affairs of state’, wouldn’t you?” Julius smiled as Garrick raised his eyebrows, no doubt preparing the usual rant about ‘rumors, speculation, and really Mr Eaton, you should know better than to accuse me of espionage’. These rants always ended with a smile and enough protest that Julius was only further convinced his friend had once worked for the government, if not the chief of security himself.

Garrick was only beginning his argument when the cafe door chimed, letting in a familiar and unwanted presence.

“What a coincidence, it seems Officer Dukat has his lunch break at the same time as ours,” Julius’ partner commented, not without a certain amount of disdain.

They ducked down, hoping he wouldn’t spot them. He did.

“Well,” Dukat said loudly as he moved towards their table, “What a pleasant surprise.”

“Don’t mind us, we were just leaving,” Garrick stood up, carefully setting aside his plate. Julius started to do the same.

“Oh, don’t let me stop you from enjoying your lunch,” Dukat smiled, looking more threatening than cheerful, “Although, I can’t imagine why an upstanding writer such as yourself would want to interact with a known... subversive.”

“I don’t know what you’ve heard, Dukat-”

“Officer Dukat.”

“Officer Dukat. I’m but a simple editor, looking to carve out a simple, patriotic life in this wonderful city. Besides, you know how rumors spread,” Garrick smiled.

Dukat blanched, as though he was only just remembering who he was talking to. He opened his mouth, probably to come up with an apology that would just end up turning into another insult when a car beeped loudly outside the cafe. The trio looked over to see Officer Damar, looking frustrated and pointing at his watch. Dukat sighed, turning back to give Garrick another tight lipped smile before hurrying into the police car.

“If I go the rest of my life without talking to him, it will be too soon,” Julius commented.

“Indeed, my dear,” Garrick smiled as he noticed something on the table, “Oh my, would you look at that. It seems the good officer forgot his keys.”

“Now, what sort of citizens would we be if we didn’t return them to him,” Julius smiled back.

They walked back to work, basking in the sound of Dukat cursing and screaming as he tried to retrieve his car keys from the gutter. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope ya'll enjoyed that!!! The next chapter won't be up for a while (still haven't finished editing), but the last chapter is finished, so at least I have everything written down.  
> Next up: More angst and trans talk!


	4. The Real World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was... a hard chapter to write. I wrote it because I really wanted to get a message across, which turns out to be my go to strategy for angst *shruggs*. Seriously tho, I'm not that good at writing angst, so please be gentle.  
> Warnings for brief mentions of transphobia, homophobia, and racism in the workplace

It was only the two of them in the office, which was unusual but not unheard of. Pabst and Rossoff worked quietly, the only ones without any particular place to be that snowy evening. Neither of them wanted to brave the cold just yet, so they continued to work in silence. Rossoff was bored to tears.

“The news is going crazy over [Jorgensen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Jorgensen), aren't they,” he commented, breaking the silence.

Pabst only grunted in agreement.

“Nothing to say?” Rossoff asked.

“What is there to say?” Pabst grunted, annoyed at the sudden interruption.

“Nothing,” Rossoff replied, doing his best to look innocent, “Unless you want to talk about it…”

Pabst merely glared at the writer. Much to his annoyance, Rossoff did not take the hint.

“Nothing to say? Not even about the holidays?” Rossoff continued, “What about the news, anything catch your eye? Hm?”

“I don’t read the news, at least not whatever rag you’re holding.”

“Hey!” Rossoff exclaimed, grinning at Pabst’s discomfort, “I’ll have you know this is the Daily News! This lady’s making history! Just wait, you might even see -”

“If you want to ask something, just do it already. I’m sick of your rambling,” Pabst glared at Rossoff, daring him to continue the conversation.

“You know what, I will!” Rossoff stood with the emotion of someone on their last nerve, “You talk all the time about shame and ‘the company image’ and how important it is to hide the ‘undesirable’ parts of ourselves to save face! I’m tired of hearing your prejudice! I’m tired of watching you stand there, on your high horse, while you spout ignorant bullshit! So what if some of us are colored or queer or women! Doesn’t mean we have to keep listening to you shout bullshit in our faces!”

Pabst stared at Rossoff, shocked into silence. This just made Rossoff angrier.

“What? Nothing to say? Finally realized what an ignorant piece of shit you are?”

Pabst lowered his gaze. They stayed like that for a long while, Rossoff waiting for Pabst to speak, Pabst silently staring at the ground.

“I know.”

“What?” Rossoff startled.

“I know… what it’s like,” Pabst looked up, “I- I didn’t want to talk about Jorgensen because… because she reminds me of myself.”

Rossoff stood still, shocked at the weight of those words. Of the implications they carried.

“Then why,” Rossoff whispered, still too stunned to speak loudly, “Why do you act like it’s such a bad thing? People get spooked when you come in, like they’re doing something wrong just by existing. Why would you talk like that if you  _ understand _ ?”

“Because we should be spooked,” Pabst looked Rossoff in the eye, more serious than the writer had ever seen him, “The world hates people like us. It’s not the company I’m trying to protect, it’s  _ you _ . I  _ need _ to be hard on you all, if you get too comfortable, the world is just going to knock you all back down. Better to be prepared, to be overcautious, than to be locked up or worse.”

“That’s your excuse?” Rossoff wheezed, “That you’re protecting us? Do you really think we need a reminder of how much the world hates us? We get enough of that outside of work! All you’re doing is making another place where we’re not safe!”

“I-” now it was Pabst’s turn to look shocked.

“You’re not protecting us,” Rossoff stated firmly, “There are many things you could do to protect us, and what you’re doing isn’t it. Believe me when I say, none of us feel like you’re doing us any favors.”

Pabst stared at the ground, mollified for the second time. How had things ended up becoming so confusing? He thought he knew how to act, how to interact with the others. He thought he knew what he was doing. Where had it all gone wrong? When had he become the very thing he feared?

Rossoff looked at Pabst, reevaluating his perception of the man. 

“No one expects you to be the perfect boss, but could you at least stop ganging up on everyone?”

“I’ll try.”

Rossoff smirked softly, “But no promises?”

“No promises,” Pabst looked at Rossoff with what could be a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally published! I was so torn on whether to publish now or try and keep editing. The clock was ticking, so I figured I'd publish it now. I mentioned Christine Jorgensen, please research her, she was a real trans woman in the 50s and was super outspoken in the community. Sorry if this wasn't a good characterization of Pabst, I tried.  
> Next up: Holiday Party Shenanigans!!!


	5. Holiday Cheer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The finale!!! Hope you guys like it, this will mark the end of my first multi chapter fic!!! I love this AU so much, but I don't have any more ideas for it. Hope you all enjoy, have a wonderful end to 2020!!!

The Company holiday party was going great. While not officially sanctioned by Incredible Tales magazine, everyone agreed that a casual evening at Macklin’s was better than anything the boss could come up with. The snow was falling, the fire was roaring, and everyone was very, _very_ drunk. Kay was leaning against Darlene for support, laughing for the third time at whatever Darlene had whispered to her. Benny was entertaining Julius and Herbert with another tale of Jimmy’s exploits. Julius kept trying to interrupt with a story of his own but was easily derailed by Benny, who was holding his own much better than his fellow writer. Macklin walked back into the room, pausing only to pour a glass of wine for his “roommate” Keiko before setting the bottle down.

“You know,” Keiko sighed, looking out the window, “It’s a shame they never decorate that old statue.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that old thing!” Macklin joined her by the window.

“It looks… alright,” Benny commented as he moved to the window, “I see what you mean, it could use a little holiday cheer. Any idea why no one’s decorated it?”

“It’s a public statue, even if it’s so rusted you can’t see the face on a good day,” Keiko explained, “The only thing that’s kept me from going out there and decorating it myself is that fence.”

The rest of the guests gathered around the window, noting that there was, in fact, a decorative iron fence surrounding the statue, presumably to prevent vandalism. They stared as a car drove by, splashing water on the already sad looking statue.

“Well, that settles it!” Rossoff exclaimed, “Let’s go over there and decorate ourselves!”

“And the fence?” Benny asked.

“I can help with that.”

The group turned towards the sofa, where Julius was laying down. He stood up slowly, leaning on the sofa to keep from falling down. The guests looked on skeptically as he made his way to the window, silently agreeing that he looked too drunk to help with anything, much less picking locks.

“Well, not me specifically,” Julius clarified, “But I know someone.”

One call and ten minutes later, the party was outside, huddled around Julius’ “friend”, who kept insisting he was “just an editor” as he picked the locked fence with relative ease. He opened the door, gesturing them inside as though he were only a doorman doing his duty with pride, rather than an editor with a suspicious set of skills breaking into a blocked off area. The group shuffled in, ladened with tinsel and other decorations Macklin had brought for the occasion. 

By the time the party finished “decorating” the statue was unrecognizable. Reflective tinsel covered every inch of its rusted surface. Ornaments hung at odd angles, glowing in the lamppost light. Someone had found strands of popcorn, which they wrapped around the fence and collected snow in clumps. They all leaned against something, exhausted from the night's work. Rossoff pulled out a bottle, passing it around in turn.

“A toast!” Benny crowed, “To us!”

“To us!” they repeated.

“I don’t know about you,” Kay murmured into Darlene’s jacket, “But I’ll remember tonight for as long as I live.”

“Me too,” Darlene whispered back.

They stared up at the statue, outshining the winter sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I was so torn between making Macklin and Keiko married vs secretly married, because interracial marriage wasn't legal until the 60s. They are definitely in a relationship tho. So many clandestine relationships. Also Pabst isn't there, btw.)


End file.
